Page 14 - The Wayne Dispatch

PRINCIPAL, Continued from page 13 What is the day we allowed costumes for students watching students succeed academi-
of a principal like? and staff. It was the quietest day in cally, because it will open doors to a
What is your background It is never the same. It is one of the office this year and people really positive future.
in education? the pieces I love about it. Every day enjoyed it. I would like to find more Can you give me 5
I have been in education for 20 is different, but all days are busy. opportunities like that in the future.
years. I started as a 5th grade What have you found to interesting facts
teacher in Benton Harbor. I then Why did you choose about yourself to share
moved to Farmington Public Schools a career in education? be the biggest challenge with the community?
as an 8th grade science teacher. At at WMHS and how did 5? Yikes!
27, I was moved to the assistant prin- I started out only wanting to you/or how do you intend Of my three kids, one is my step-
cipal position in the same middle teach. I worked with an elementary son, one is adopted from Russia,
school. I have also served as an school when I was in a high school to meet that challenge? and one came to us the "old- fash-
upper elementary principal and high psychology class and got the bug. I I would say truancy is the biggest ioned" way. You wouldn't know it to
school principal respectively. I have became an administrator to help the issue. Even then, it is a small per- look at them. Every family story is
been an administrator for 16 years. broader community. I am passion- centage of our overall population. unique.
ate about working to improve We will work with the county on the We have a 65-pound black
How do you schools. most troublesome cases and will labrador and a 4-pound white
handle the other ones in the building.
connect with students? How are you building a Students need to be in class to be Moorkie (Yorkshire/Maltese mix).
I work to be visible in the hall- positive school culture successful, so we are taking a hard They are an odd pairing.
ways and the lunchroom and look to stance on attendance. I didn't get into Michigan when I
make connections whenever possi- with students and staff? was 18, but I returned 20 years later
ble. One of my first experiences in While we work on tardiness, tru- What has been your to complete my doctorate. Goals
the role was driving out to Howell Na- ancy, and the occasional behavioral greatest joy as a sometimes take longer to complete,
ture Center this summer to spend issue, I want to focus on positives as but you can if you keep working.
time with our student senate. Some- well. We are looking at ideas to cre- principal/educator? I dislike bananas very much (I
times I get to know students when ate incentives for positive behavior My greatest joy is watching stu- won't say hate, but it fits).
we reflect on poor choices, but I pre- and to reward those students who dents succeed at something they Someday far off in the future after
fer to get to know them by recogniz- do the right thing day after day. We love. Sometimes that happens in I retire, I would like to spend more
ing their positive contributions to the also look for opportunities to let the athletics, other times on a perform- time in the mountains, like I did
school community. kids have fun. This past Halloween ance stage. I also get great joy out of when I was young.

14 · December 2019 · The Wayne Dispatch